


Run

by Selcier



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Drabble, Inktober 2017, M/M, Slice of Life, old stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-23 01:00:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13776339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selcier/pseuds/Selcier
Summary: Sometimes, his morning run isn't enough to clear his mind.





	Run

He leaves the dog at home most mornings. With a wet chill in the air and the sidewalk spread out for him in a tale of adventure, the poor creatures little legs would hardly be able to keep up. So he smiles and placates before locking his apartment door  zipping us his hood. The dog’s whining doesn’t bother him anymore. By that time, the first hints of sunlight peak over the tops of the buildings and caste a golden glow of the top windows of nearby townhouses.

Compared to most of the city, he’s in well-enough shape. Having a professional life full of frequent moments of adrenaline spaced by long bouts of utter monotony have ignited his love for regular exercise. He jogs every morning, just for a half-hour or so, and loiters at the gym a few afternoons each week. Anything to keep him in shape for the next deployment.

The steady beat of his feet tend to drown out the thoughts sloshing around in his head.

After a good year, his lungs don’t even burn anymore before the end of his short loop around the neighborhood. The hills had really done him in those first few months; left him wheezing and straining to make it back to his building without throwing up. He hadn’t realized how out of shape he’d gotten after a few short years at school.

Ten minutes into his lap, and up a section of street lined with shops and only the earliest of risers, he passes the girl who’s always heading the opposite direction. He thinks to himself fleetingly, like he does most mornings, about saying hello and possibly looking to run together. But she’s already blowing past him in a delightful swill of floral body spray before he can do little more than raise his hand to wave. She’s smiling though, so he considered his neighborly duty completed.

He’s not really into girls in pink sports bras anyways.

He doesn’t stop a the only crosswalk on the hill with a crossing guard. And like every morning, the elderly woman blows her whistle at him in a series of short bursts before gesturing for him to stop. She seems to take her position very seriously but he doesn’t need her help to cross a light on a red.

But he does stop a good deal later when he’s coming around the bend, his building in view, to the sight of Obi-wan leaning against the side of his car.

Anakin stops for a moment, a grin spreading over his face before picking up his pace again. He’s slightly out of breath and flushed by the time he slows next to the older man, his heart pounding more than it had in the last half hour.

“Good morning, Anakin,” Obi-wan says, his accent as prim and cultured as ever. “I’m a bit earlier than expected. I apologize for interrupting your morning routine.”

Anakin waves him off, laughing. “Please, Obi-wan, it's fine.” He licks his lips before stepping into Obi-wan’s personal space after a moment of hesitation. Anakin leans down to kiss him in chaste press of lips before folding back and smiling again. “Want to come in before we go?”

Obi-wan  nods, a blush on his cheeks so pale it could be the last vestiges of the sunrise. “I would, thank you.”

They hold hands walking the short distance into the building. Anakin rummages for his key as Obi-wan loosens his grip to hold on to his elbow instead. Their met with the excited snuffles of the tiny dog, its pink tongue rolling from its mouth as it runs from the door to the kitchen; too excited to keep still.

Obi-wan closes the door behind them as Anakin herds the motley group into the kitchen. He checks on the dogs water to make sure he hasn’t sloshed it onto the floor before pouring two cups of to-go coffee from the pot burning on the hot plate.

“Let me change,” Anakin says, pulling his damp shirt over his head as he heads towards the bedroom. “Then we can head out.”

He picked out his clothes the night. He knew he’d be two keyed up to even look in the closet this morning. The adrenaline from the run is starting to wear thin so he pulls the outfit on and doesn’t even look in the mirror. He doesn’t want to see his flaws right before anyways.

Obi-wan is sitting on the sofa when Anakin emerges. His back is straight and his clothes perfectly pressed; a beautiful line compared to Anakin’s mess.

“Okay,” Anakin says, tugging on his smartest hoodie and feeling horribly exposed despite his clean dark jeans and new shoes. “Let’s go. Don’t want to be late.”

“It's not too late,” Obi-wan says, a small frown on his pale face. “I’d be happy not to go, you know.”

“No, I’m alright.” He crosses the room to grab a light jacket from the hook next to the door. He hears the rustle of Obi-wan’s slacks as the other man comes up behind him. “I’m ready.”

For a soft moment, Obi-wan presses his hand to Anakin’s back. “Alright then.”

Anakin tells the dog to stay before they lock the door behind them and crowd into Obi-wan’s practical sedan. The pavement is already heating up by then, the sun clear overhead. Anakin rolls down the window to get some air before it's too hot to drive without air conditioning.   

To get on the highway, Obi-wan drives them up the hill through the small business district; nearly the same route as his run. At the only stop light with a crossing guard, they wait for the light to turn green. His girl in the sports bra runs by but stops at the corner to wait for the guard to help her cross. Anakin watches as they exchange a brief greeting of hellos and good morning before she’s off at a brisk pace on the other side of the street.

He settles back into his seat with a sigh.

Obi-wan draps his hands over Anakin’s knee. “I’m glad, you know. For you to come with me. I know it's not easy.” he doesn’t take his eyes away from the road as the light turns green. The car moves forward with the slightest burp of the engine in the low-speed area.

Anakin fiddles with Obi-wan’s fingers before laying his hand overtop. He knows it's a little sweaty. “I’m not running anymore, babe. You’ve waited for too long,” he says, mumbling, with his face turned towards the window.

 “I’d let you go, Anakin,” Obi-wan says. He turns his hand over so they can tangle their fingers together. His palms are hot and sweaty too.

 They pick up speed on the on-ramp to the highway and Anakin hides a smile as he rolls the window back up. His reflection looks hazy in the bright light. He squeezes Obi-wan’s hand. “I know.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> not beta'd, previously posted on tumblr
> 
> selcier.tumblr.com


End file.
